Kasbahs, camels, medieval markets... Rena and I returned last week from a 5 week visit to Morocco. We used mostly local buses and trains except for 1 week when we mainstreamed and rented a car.

The landscape includes the Atlas Mountains which exceed 13,000 feet in elevation, the northern edge of the Sahara desert, and some amazing cities such as Marrakesh and Fes. The "old parts" of these cities are some of the largest living medieval cities in the world.

Some of the highlights included:

1. Climbing Toubkal which at 13,668 ft is the high point of the country (It was cold and windy).
2. Visiting the huge sand dunes at Merzouga at the edge of the Sahara desert which rise up to 1000 feet. We thoroughly enjoyed our magical overnight camel safari into the desert and found ourselves bonding with these calm and dependable creatures.
3. Trekking for 5 days in the High Atlas mountains where we stayed with local Berber families in primitive abodes and were able to experence the local culture firsthand. We used a local guide who cooked for us and had our gear carried by mule.
4. Visiting the coastal city of Essaouira where we watched sunsets from the ancient walls around the city and visited fishing boats each evening as they unloaded their catch. The houses were white and blue and painted a scene similar to the Greek islands.
5. Spending time in Marrakesh in an exotic setting. Each night at the famous square in the middle of the city was an open air extravaganza including street performers and musicians along with food stands selling tasty local food such as snails and various sheep parts, an amazing assortment of vegetable dishes, any number of brochettes, spicy teas and honey soaked deserts.
6. Touring the ruins of the old kasbah at Telouet, where we had our most memorable meal. Tajine, the national dish, consisting of vegetables, meat and spices cooked slowly in a hugh platter with a cover shaped like a Vietnamese hat. The dish is placed in the center of the table to allow participants to share using hands, of course.
7. Exploring the markets of Fes which consist of 9400 streets and lanes (we didn't count them) which twist and turn in an immense labyrinth of shops selling almost everything. Some people took guides but getting lost and eventually finding your way again was much more fun.
8. Roaming the old Roman ruins of Volubilis near Meknes, an Unesco World Hertage site dating from the 2nd century. Visiting this site using local transport without resorting to the "tourist taxis" was one of the challenges of the trip.
   
9. Taking short visits to Rabat and Casablanca (our entry and exit city by air) gave us an opportunity to see the modern parts of Morocco.

We look different from the local sort and stood out using our mode of transport. As a result, we interacted with swarms of people along the way. Everyone from students in the park to shoeshine boys all along the way greeted us with a "MarHaba", or "Welcome" and was overjoyed when we responded. Our interaction with women was very limited. As in many other countries, there is enormous room for improvement with respect to the status
of women in Morocco.

A week trip also has its taxing moments. Many of the people who target tourists in Morocco want to sell you something and they look at you with disbelief when you tell them you really don't plan to buy their carpets. Morocco can be right up there with India and Vietnam when it comes to being "hassled" by those particular people who seem to be ever-present. The language was a problem for us also. The national language is Arabic, most people speak French as their second language, and in the mountains they speak various dialects of Berber. But English is rarely found outside the tourist areas of the cities. Finally, the weather was uncomfortably hot during much of our visit. We had 100 degree temperatures for much of the last 2 weeks. It is probably better to go in April or October.

But we had a good trip and are glad to be back. We plan to stay near home most of the summer.